1 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,840 Please open your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 2. 2 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:20,960 Verses 41 to 46 will cover Wednesday will cover Acts begin 3 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:26,720 Acts chapter 3. When Peter is asked for money 4 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,760 and he says silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I 5 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:37,240 thee raise up and he raises up this man, he's been crippled all 6 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,440 his life. Let's read Acts chapter 2 verse 7 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,160 41 to 46. I pray you have your Bible. 8 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:45,640 It's really good to go to church with the Bible. 9 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,720 Think it's important, important that you have a Bible and read 10 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,600 it. Then those who gladly received 11 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,520 his word. So there was some that didn't 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,960 receive the word like that. This is Peter's message. 13 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,880 We're baptised that day. About 3000 souls were added to 14 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:08,720 them, verse 42, and they that's the 3000 souls plus the 120 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:14,240 disciples continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and 16 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,880 fellowship and the breaking of bread and in prayers. 17 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:24,840 As a result, fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and 18 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:26,960 signs were done through the apostles. 19 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,520 Now all who believed were together and had all things in 20 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,720 common, sold their possessions and goods and divided them among 21 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,840 all. Has anyone had need So 22 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:45,280 continually daily with 1 accord in the temple and breaking bread 23 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,200 from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and 24 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,720 simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all 25 00:01:53,720 --> 00:02:00,680 the people and the Lord added to the Church daily those who were 26 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,400 being saved. Spirit filled church. 27 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:09,520 When I say a spirit filled church, what thoughts come to 28 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,280 your mind often you know, it's like wow, that's church that 29 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,040 just goes crazy. You know, people running around 30 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,880 and doing cartwheels and noise going on and people falling all 31 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,680 over the place and 100 people up on the stage and microphones 32 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,520 going around the place and pandemonium and no. 33 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,280 Does the term scare you? Spirit filled church. 34 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,600 Maybe you've been raised in a more traditional background. 35 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,120 I was raised in an Anglican church, spirit filled church. 36 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:49,560 Never knew what that was. When people go looking for a 37 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:56,880 church to call their home fellowship, it depends upon your 38 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:01,400 spiritual maturity and biblical knowledge. 39 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:07,760 Knowledge of the word of God or the lack of that will determine 40 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:13,520 what church you end up going to and looking for. 41 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,440 It's the Christian Bain Marie. I've always thought it was Bain 42 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:23,840 Marie, but it's Bain Marie. It's like, I want one of these 43 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:25,160 to it now. I don't want any of that bit of 44 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,360 this, bit of this. Yeah, that's the church I want 45 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:34,160 in our Kent Hughes book and I use many of his commentaries. 46 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,760 He's very good. He wrote a book called Set Apart 47 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,280 and we are Set apart, Set apart from the world. 48 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:46,560 He writes and I quote his definitions of the modern day 49 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:52,520 types of Christians that we have now existing in our world and 50 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,640 their their church appetite. There is the hitchhiker 51 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,960 Christian. You go to the meetings, serve on 52 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:06,240 the boards and committees, you grapple with the issues, do the 53 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:11,480 work of the church, pay the bills and you'll say I'll come 54 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:16,959 along for the ride, but if things don't suit, I'll 55 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:20,399 criticise and complain and then I'll probably bail out. 56 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,480 I'll leave then. There are, and it's very common 57 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,000 to write churchless Christians, you know, people who are just, 58 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:29,760 we have this magic word called spiritual. 59 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:38,360 It's spiritual like Casper, spiritual, churchless 60 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,600 Christians, they are nomadic. You see, if you don't join a 61 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,720 church, you don't have to attend a church, You don't have to 62 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:48,920 serve at the church, and you don't have to give it a church. 63 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:53,440 If you don't join a church, you can be on the perpetual take, 64 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:59,840 just whatever's gone, and it never costs, never put your hand 65 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:03,840 on the pocket, never takes your time, no accountability. 66 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:08,200 It's consumerism without paying. It's popular. 67 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,800 Then there is the absolute consumer, Christian. 68 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:18,600 He says they attend one church for preaching, send their 69 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:23,160 children to another church for its youth programme, go to a 70 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:28,720 third Church of small groups and their motto is what's in this 71 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,200 church for me, what's in this church for me? 72 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,480 Then there's the spectator Christian. 73 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:42,400 You know, like spectator sports. Spectator Christians produce the 74 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,440 same thing. Fans. 75 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,640 Fans who cheer on the players whilst they themselves are in 76 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,520 desperate need of engagement and meaning. 77 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,280 Then there's the drive through Christians. 78 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,320 Today would be the electronic EV drive through Christians. 79 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:06,080 You get what you want and a minimum time with no more effort 80 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:07,720 than the turn of your power steering. 81 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:13,520 They get the church fixed out of the way by attending a weeknight 82 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,440 church service or the early church service on Sunday. 83 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:22,480 So that way I've got the rest of Sunday to do my sport and my 84 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:27,200 recreation trips. And there's the and it's popular 85 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,680 today. Now since COVID, we introduced 86 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:35,760 online services because remember, we weren't allowed by 87 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:40,120 law to gather. It's a relationship relation, 88 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:44,360 less Christianity. And it's very popular today. 89 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:49,400 You can go to that church in your pyjamas with a cup of 90 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,720 coffee, eaten toast, bowl of cereal. 91 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:58,880 I'm in church. It's all by video, nothing in 92 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,880 the flesh. It's virtual church where 93 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:09,960 Christ's body can be surveyed by the camera and the Word can be 94 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,040 heard without responsibility or accountability. 95 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:15,680 Well, I'll switch it off now. That was good. 96 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,600 Done my church well. Following the day of Pentecost 97 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,920 and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit filled. 98 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,360 Church was born. Church was born. 99 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,120 What did it look like? What did it do? 100 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:39,200 How did they react and behave? Where do we? 101 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:44,040 Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour 2026 fit in with the Biblical 102 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,080 definition of the Spirit filled church according to the Word of 103 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,840 God. Well, we know 3000 souls are 104 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,600 saved. Peter's first sermon under the 105 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,440 anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. 106 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,680 Now what? These are all Jews. 107 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,080 They're no longer looking to Judaism. 108 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:07,640 This is a massive shift in their life. 109 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:11,920 The old covenant, Jesus now brought a new covenant. 110 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:15,400 So we're going to look at 4 things today. 111 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,520 If you're taking notes, the Spirit filled church is a 112 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:25,400 learning church, the Spirit Filled church is a loving 113 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:33,640 church, the Spirit filled church is a worshipping church, and the 114 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,280 Spirit filled church is an evangelistic church. 115 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:40,440 So let's look at the first one. A spirit filled church is a 116 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,920 learning church. The very first evidence that 117 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,400 Doctor Luke who wrote the book of Acts writes about the early 118 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:53,280 church, the spirit filled church is that Acts verse, chapter 2, 119 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:59,480 verse 42, it says, and they continued steadfastly in the 120 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,960 Greek that means devoted. They were constant, they 121 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:08,360 persevered. It wasn't casual, they continued 122 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,400 steadfastly. What in in the apostles 123 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,640 doctrine, Doctrine means teaching and fellowship in the 124 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,920 breaking of bread and in prayers. 125 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:25,440 One could say that the Holy Spirit, following Pentecost, 126 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,880 opened a school in Jerusalem that day with 3000 students. 127 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,280 No air conditioning. That's if you read in the paper. 128 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:35,760 That's what the schools are going back to. 129 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:43,360 It's teachers were the apostles whom Jesus had appointed and 130 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,880 there were 3000 pupils in the kindergarten. 131 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:53,280 There are those who say well I have the Holy Spirit and he, he 132 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,400 teaches me alone. Since the Spirit came, that's I, 133 00:09:56,400 --> 00:10:02,480 I just it's him, me and him. The Word of God is irrelevant to 134 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:06,680 me now since the Spirit has come because the, you know, the law 135 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:08,200 kills. And they always say that we 136 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,800 don't want to be legalists. And the word of God is 137 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,920 irrelevant to me now. I'm just led by the Spirit. 138 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:22,120 To which we see in our text that the early church converts did 139 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:27,800 not embark on a magical mystery. Experience, spiritual experience 140 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,960 which led them to despise or disdain theology. 141 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,040 No, the exact opposite. Listen carefully because you 142 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,360 need to hear this. Especially in these last days. 143 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:47,600 Anti intellectualism and the fullness of the spirit are 144 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,600 mutually incompatible. Why? 145 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,480 Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. 146 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:59,720 Nor did these early disciples imagine that because they had 147 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:05,360 received now the filling of the Holy Spirit that he was the only 148 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,480 teacher that they needed and they could dispense with human 149 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,200 teachers. I don't go to traditional or 150 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,600 traditional church. God speaks to me direct. 151 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:20,640 Wow, good on you. I said big ears because in 152 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:27,800 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11, Paul says he that's Jesus gave 153 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:33,000 himself some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, 154 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:37,800 and some pastors and teachers. Why? 155 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,280 For the equipping of the Saints. That's the church. 156 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,800 What for? For the work of the ministry. 157 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,160 What the church is to do what for the edifying of the body of 158 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:50,000 Christ. Pretty simple. 159 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:56,560 Now On the contrary, after Pentecost and the Spirit of God 160 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:00,040 fell upon these 3000 souls, filled them with the Holy 161 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,440 Spirit, they were baptised and now they're saved. 162 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:09,880 These 3000 converts then sat at the apostles feet, hungry to 163 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:14,600 receive instruction. They wanted to know all about 164 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:16,920 the change and what had happened in their lives. 165 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,920 They knew about Judaism, but what now? 166 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,120 Jesus is the Lamb of God. That means all these scriptures 167 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:26,200 that we used to know. There's a different meaning now. 168 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,440 Jesus is in the text, he's the Messiah. 169 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,720 What about the Kingdom of God? What do we do now? 170 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:40,200 When's he coming back? So hunger for the Word of God is 171 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:47,400 always a sign of true salvation, true conversion, and not just a 172 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,120 religious experience. You get saved and then you can't 173 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,160 be bothered reading the Bible or going to church. 174 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,720 I doubt your salvation. You can't say that. 175 00:12:54,760 --> 00:13:00,120 Yes, I did, I just did. Because when Helen and I got 176 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,400 saved on a Tuesday and then we went to church on the Sunday, we 177 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,680 went in the morning, then we went again in the evening. 178 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:10,000 Because now I had the Holy Spirit of my life and I heard 179 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:11,920 preaching and teaching of the Word of God. 180 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,600 I thought, where has this been all my life? 181 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,600 And I needed to know. And I I would see things happen 182 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:22,400 in church and I'd see money go around, lots of money. 183 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,840 Not like in the days when I was Anglican church. 184 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,000 And I'd take a shilling. Those of you old enough, what a 185 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,480 shilling is, it's a peso or repair. 186 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,200 Back in those days, a shilling wrapped up in a hanky because 187 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,960 I'd lose it and I'd drop it. Hanky. 188 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,240 You probably don't know what a hanky is. 189 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,400 A handkerchief is a piece of cloth you stick in your pocket. 190 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,120 So I'd go up to church when the offering came around and the 191 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:47,800 Anken church in there went, went. 192 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,200 It was just coins. No one put pounds in there. 193 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,760 Not the church I went to anyway. Then when I went to church where 194 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,080 people had got saved, I went and the plate came around. 195 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,320 I went, there's money, money in here. 196 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,280 I need to, I need to. What's going on? 197 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:09,000 I've never seen this and so I wanted to know and I wanted to 198 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,080 know I needed to know everything about the Bible. 199 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,680 So the first thing I bought book I bought besides the Bible was a 200 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,760 concordance. Why? 201 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:20,480 Because I needed to be able to look up. 202 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,000 I didn't know where to look up things where they were. 203 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,120 Look up the word. There it is. 204 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,880 It tells you the the verse and the passage. 205 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:27,920 You can go there. Still recommend that you do 206 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,000 that. I would take my concordance to 207 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,760 Bible studies because someone said turn to and I go, where's 208 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:35,160 that? There's a concordance. 209 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:40,000 There is, there is. I'm so scared about having to 210 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,120 look at the index. Do you do that when you come to 211 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,120 church? I'm not looking at the index. 212 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:46,720 I'm just saying what books I've read through the Bible. 213 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:49,800 Nehemiah. Where's Nehemiah? 214 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,680 What pages? Don't be bothered about that. 215 00:14:54,640 --> 00:15:00,160 Just learn. We just learn hunger for the 216 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,280 Word of God is a sign that you are saved. 217 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,800 Why? Because the inner man is 218 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,040 starving. There's an Eskimo who would 219 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,200 bring a black dog and a white dog. 220 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,520 He owned the two to town in the village where he lived on 221 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,080 Saturdays. And men would bet because he 222 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:24,880 would have these two dogs fight each Saturday and which dog 223 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,360 would win and he would take the earnings and he he never lost 224 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,960 his bet. They'd bring the black dog, the 225 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:32,720 white dog. And everyone said, how do you 226 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:38,840 know which dog's going to win? It's easy when I starve and when 227 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:43,440 I feed and the one that's fed the most is the strongest, they 228 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,680 always win. And so that's you and I. 229 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,840 We have a lot of starving people sitting in church today. 230 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,000 Don't read their Bible, don't study the word of God, don't 231 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,240 know anything about the Bible. Man does not live by bread 232 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:04,840 alone, Jesus says, but by every word that proceeds from the 233 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:12,200 mouth of God. And so these 3000 people, they 234 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:14,600 were really saved. Someone says, yeah, I've made a 235 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,480 commitment to Christ. They don't carry a Bible. 236 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,760 They don't read. I go, you're in, you're in 237 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,680 dangerous turf because if you have made a commitment where 238 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,560 you're starving and the old flesh, that's the old you, 239 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:30,680 you're feeding that and that's going to dominate your life, 240 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:34,560 Rule your life, rule your individual living, rule your 241 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,520 marriage, rule your relationship with your kids because that's 242 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,960 the one you're feeding. And the the born again part, 243 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:46,920 that's a, a, a skeleton that's struggling to survive. 244 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:57,480 And so these 3000 were hungry. They continued steadfastly in 245 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:59,360 the apostles doctrine and teaching. 246 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:08,839 So a spirit filled church is a New Testament church in the 247 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:11,720 sense that it studies and submits to the New Testament 248 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,800 instructor. You know, we use the Old 249 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,480 Testament as well. But a spirit filled church is 250 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,640 where the information comes for the Jews. 251 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,920 This is how to live now. And by the way, they didn't have 252 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:24,800 the apostles. They didn't get up and go. 253 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,079 Let's turn to the book of Luke. Luke haven't, I haven't written 254 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:31,720 it yet. Well, let's turn to the book of 255 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,840 John. Nah, not on the island of Patmos 256 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:40,720 yet. Nah, not haven't written that 257 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,840 yet either. And what about the, the, the 258 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,360 appalling? He's not saved yet. 259 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,240 They had the Old Testament, that's all. 260 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:59,840 The Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit to the 261 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:05,400 word of God. Jesus said if you love me, keep 262 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,440 my commandments. You can only keep his 263 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:13,560 commandments if you know what they are, they continued 264 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:18,640 steadfastly. Second point, the spirit filled 265 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,080 church is a loving church. Oh well, that's what we need to 266 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,400 be more and more love you. We need we need to welcome 267 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,920 everybody and everything. Hang on a minute define 268 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:34,320 definition be discerning Acts 242 and they continued steadfast 269 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:38,280 in the apostles doctrine and the keyword is fellowship. 270 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:42,160 Fellowship is not when we come and just have a coffee together 271 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,560 and break bread and you know, and, and and talk about stuff. 272 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,280 It's the word Koinonia. Many of you know it. 273 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,360 It comes from the Greek word koinos. 274 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,720 KOINOS. It means common, the word 275 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,520 pictures and bears witness to the common life of the church in 276 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,760 two ways. It's what Christians do. 277 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:09,880 A it expresses what we share together, what you and I share 278 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:11,880 together. When you travel and you meet 279 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,040 another Christian somewhere in another country, you share 280 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,440 Christianity, you share Christ. All of a sudden you have a 281 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,480 brother, a sister in the Lord. You you're on the beach, you're 282 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,840 about to go out for a surf, and you're praying. 283 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:25,440 And I say you're praying. Yeah, man. 284 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,520 Well, let's pray together. Let's pray before we go out and 285 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,280 paddle out. You see, it expresses that you 286 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,480 and I, as we see here today, we share together that it is God 287 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,400 himself. He is our Father. 288 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,240 We pray the prayer, don't we, the Lord's Prayer. 289 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,080 We don't go my Father in my heaven. 290 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:50,040 We say our Father, don't we our father? 291 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,960 For our fellowship is with the Father in heaven and with his 292 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,240 Son Jesus Christ. He is what our Lord, He's our 293 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:03,320 Lord, our Saviour. And there is the fellowship of 294 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:07,640 the Holy Spirit. We are brothers and sisters. 295 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,560 Together in God's family. It's the same in a marriage. 296 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:15,680 Remember Helen just reminding me of that so that I needed to know 297 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,320 that we are brother and we're not just husband and wife. 298 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,960 We are brother and sister in Christ. 299 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:25,360 And the Bible tells us how to relate to brothers and sisters 300 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:30,080 in Christ. The church is the body of 301 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,920 Christ. Secondly, Koinonia also 302 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,720 expresses what we share together. 303 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,680 It's what we give as well as what we receive. 304 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:47,440 Koinonia is the word, the same word the Apostle Paul used for 305 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,360 the collection that he was gathering and organising among 306 00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:55,760 the Greek churches to take to Jerusalem because Jerusalem, 307 00:20:55,920 --> 00:21:02,400 they were starving. And the koinonikis is the Greek 308 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,640 word for generous. They shared their possessions 309 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,000 one with another. You know, we go, oh, hang on, 310 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:11,000 we're getting some dangerous stuff. 311 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,240 I'm not giving my keys to my car to somebody. 312 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,960 No, no, hold, hold. Hold your horses. 313 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,840 Should we do this today? You know, at different times in 314 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,720 church history, some have thought so and done so. 315 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,920 Jesus said to the rich young ruler, He said to him, Matthew 316 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,480 1921, go sell what they what you have. 317 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,800 Give it to the poor. You will have treasure in 318 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,360 heaven. Then follow me. 319 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,960 He didn't. Yet neither Jesus nor the 320 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,040 apostles forbid private property. 321 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,240 Because remember we were reading they men in their houses and in 322 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,560 the temple in Acts chapter 4. We're going to find out people 323 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,640 selling their property and lying about it. 324 00:21:54,800 --> 00:22:00,640 It was Acts chapter 4-5. But the Jerusalem experiment was 325 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,000 never taught or practise as such beyond this time. 326 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:08,360 It was a voluntary thing. People did it off their own 327 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:12,160 back. But we as followers of Christ 328 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:20,040 are called to generosity. I, I, when people struggle with 329 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,080 giving and you go, well, you're going to talk about giving. 330 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:28,000 I don't, I don't do it often because it's, well, I went to 331 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,440 church and all we spoke about was giving. 332 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:35,840 But I struggle with people who come to know Christ as the Lord 333 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,720 and Saviour and never give. So you sit in the chair, someone 334 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,720 else is playful sucking on the air con that someone else is 335 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:47,120 playing for playing instruments and sitting up here or whatever. 336 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:51,040 We're using everyone else's stuff and you're just, you're 337 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,400 just bludgeon on everybody else. That's what the Greek says about 338 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:59,120 it anyway. You see, we are generous how 339 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,560 especially towards the poor and needy. 340 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:07,760 We sent $10,000 to Ukraine. We're sending, I think it's, I 341 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:13,360 can't remember how much per month to Israel as well. 5600, 342 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:18,400 about that 808 hundred a month to Israel for the work of Bethel 343 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,120 Mission, for the work in Israel. Where does that come from? 344 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,280 It comes from those who've been saved and who are generous. 345 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:32,880 Who could forget the story of the Good Samaritan? 346 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,640 That's one of the greatest stories in the Bible, Luke 347 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,040 chapter 10, verse 33. But a certain Samaritan as he 348 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,400 journeyed, came in where he was, when he from where he came where 349 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,440 he was. And when he saw him, that is the 350 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,560 guy who'd been beaten and left by the robbers, what did he do? 351 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,720 He had compassion on him. Remember, the others walked 352 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,280 around him. And this is what I love about 353 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:57,160 the story of the Good Samaritan is he picked up the guy, he 354 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,640 cared for them. Then he took him to the motel, 355 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,920 take him to the inn, pays for the accommodation of food that 356 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,800 he's going to need now. And he said, I'm coming back the 357 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:08,120 other way. I'll come back this way. 358 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:12,280 And if what I've given you now has gone short and you're still 359 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,520 looking out, having a, I'll pay what's needed. 360 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,800 You see, that's what the early church was about. 361 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:27,440 It was how they lived. We saw a need. 362 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:29,600 People always say, you know, I saw so and so. 363 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,240 You know that. You know, the church needs to do 364 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:33,120 they need help. No, you're the church. 365 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:34,120 You saw it. You help. 366 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,800 Well, you know, someone needs to go and fix up that old lady's 367 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:41,080 car. You know, it's just broken. 368 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:42,280 Well, you saw it. You got. 369 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,160 Why don't you take it down to the mechanic? 370 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,360 Why don't you do something about it? 371 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:51,280 You're the church. You see, the Israelites in the 372 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:54,360 Old Testament under the Old Covenant were called to give a 373 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:59,480 tenth of their produce so that the Levites, because they were 374 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:03,840 given no land, that was their way of source of income. 375 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:07,520 They were the priests, the stranger, the fatherless and the 376 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:12,440 widow could be supported. It was social welfare before 377 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:16,760 there was social welfare. How can spirit filled believers 378 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,520 possibly give less? Or do I have to type? 379 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,880 No, you don't. And in fact, you think that way. 380 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,240 Keep your money because God don't need money that's given on 381 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,960 earth. Yeah. 382 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:32,080 Yeah. Hang on a minute. 383 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,760 I'll just sort through was that A10 I gave meant to be a 5. 384 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,120 The principle is stated twice in Acts verse 45. 385 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:51,480 They gave to anyone as had need. This church does that. 386 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:58,240 Acts 434 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked for all 387 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,920 who were possessors of lands or houses, sold them voluntarily 388 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:06,800 bought the proceeds of the things that were sold. 389 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,000 And then verse 35, Here's another thing some of you are 390 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,200 not going to like. And they lay them at the 391 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:18,560 apostles feet, and the apostles distributed to each one as 392 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,360 anyone had need. It's not like here it is. 393 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:22,920 And this is where the money's got to go. 394 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:29,120 No, there's no strings attached. It goes to where the leaders of 395 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:31,760 the church, the apostles that this time said this is where the 396 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,920 need is to this family or to that need. 397 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,600 And I'm like, no, that's a that's only to go to there. 398 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:38,480 I'll give, but it's only to go there. 399 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:44,840 No, you don't direct or call the direction or corral the 400 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,280 direction. They lay them at the apostles 401 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:53,200 feet and they, the apostles distributed to each one as 402 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,480 anyone had need. So a spirit filled church is a 403 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,040 giving church. This church is a giving church. 404 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:04,480 Thirdly, a spirit filled church is a worshipping church. 405 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,640 Soon as we say worshipping, we automatically go to oh, that's 406 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,520 what all this is about. That's part of it. 407 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:16,200 It's just part of it. In Acts 242 they continued 408 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,480 steadfastly in the apostles doctrine of fellowship. 409 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:23,920 Here's the worship in the breaking of bread 1 and in 410 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:29,560 prayers, 22 separate items. Their fellowship was expressed 411 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,240 not only in caring for each other, but in corporate worship 412 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,760 as well. The definite article in both 413 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,960 expressions, literally the breaking of the bread and the 414 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:46,560 prayers, suggests a reference to the Lord's Supper on the one 415 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:52,560 hand and prayer services or meetings corporate the whole 416 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,720 church, rather than private prayer on the other hand. 417 00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:00,600 Yes, there's a place for private prayer, absolutely, but also the 418 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:06,920 church, a spirit filled church, has people come and gather to 419 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:13,000 the corporate prayer meeting. This is what a spirit filled 420 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:19,600 church looks like. There are two aspects of the 421 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:24,800 early church worship which reveal to us today a beautiful 422 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:29,360 balance. One, it was both formal and 423 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:31,280 informal. Acts 246. 424 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:36,120 So they continued daily with 1 accord where in the temple. 425 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:41,200 Now these were Christians. Now the Jews were still going to 426 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:44,920 the temple. We'll find Peter and and and 427 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,040 John doing that, weren't they? They're on their way to a prayer 428 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,120 meeting at the temple when they'll heal this guy coming up 429 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,320 and breaking your bread from house to house. 430 00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:00,280 Formal, informal. It is surprising that the early 431 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,600 church believers filled with the Spirit of God, continued for a 432 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,920 while in the temple. But they did. 433 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,800 They did not immediately abandoned what might be called 434 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:18,880 the institutional church, their upbringing, but I do not believe 435 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,800 they continued in participating now that they're saved in the 436 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,960 sacrifices that went on in the temple. 437 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,440 For they had begun to grasp that these had been fulfilled. 438 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:32,320 How? In the sacrifice of Christ. 439 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,680 He's the Messiah, the sacrifice to end all sacrifice. 440 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,880 No more need for the blood of animals. 441 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:44,440 Jesus was the Lamb of God, but they definitely continued in the 442 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,720 prayer services at the temple. We'll see that in the next 443 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:50,520 chapter. Whilst we are told at the same 444 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:55,240 time they supplemented, so they added to the temple services 445 00:29:55,360 --> 00:30:00,040 with more informal and spontaneous meetings, including 446 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,200 the breaking of bread in their homes. 447 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,680 So secondly, the second example of the balance of the early 448 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:11,200 church's worship is that it was both joyful and reverent. 449 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,120 We, you know, the old pendulum, you know, we kind of go, man, I 450 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:18,000 went to a church and they, yes, man, that was like going to a 451 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:22,760 funeral service, wasn't it, man? Just and then the other one, you 452 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,840 go, man, that wasn't like a funeral service. 453 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:28,200 That was like a circus. It's like, I don't know when the 454 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:29,680 clowns are coming on, what's going on. 455 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,120 Didn't know what was going on. It was good wait for the service 456 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:34,320 to be over. I don't know whether I was going 457 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,080 to be called out the stage and if someone pushed me over or 458 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,240 throw something on me or what was going on. 459 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:44,480 There is no doubt about their joy. 460 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:51,320 I was saved for We are told of them as having glad and sincere 461 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,600 hearts. Verse 46, Glad and sincere 462 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,520 hearts. It says they ate their food with 463 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,280 gladness and simplicity of heart. 464 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,800 The fruit of the spirit, part of the flavour. 465 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,360 Love is what? Joy. 466 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:13,840 Yes, every service, every time we gather should be a joyful 467 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:19,360 celebration, as we have done this morning of the mighty acts 468 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,440 of God we sang about through Jesus Christ. 469 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,560 It is right in public worship to be dignified. 470 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,080 Shouldn't be chaotic, just something, someone running 471 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,800 around, someone drawing your attention away to themselves. 472 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:40,160 Now our focus as we worship is on an audience of one We are 473 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:44,320 worshipping as a choir. They're the musicians, wear the 474 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:48,920 choir, and we are singing the same words with 1 accord to A to 475 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,880 the audience of one gone alone. That's what worship is. 476 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:00,880 But joy was never irreverent. If the joy in God is the 477 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:07,080 authentic work of the Spirit, it is, then so too is the fear of 478 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,080 God. I don't know about you, but 479 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:12,040 often during times of worship I'm in awe. 480 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:16,240 So I'm reminded as we sing, especially the Psalms and 481 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:20,560 scriptures, I'm I'm reminded of my sinfulness. 482 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,200 I'm reminded of God. We sang about God's mercy, 483 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:27,760 mercy. It's new every morning. 484 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,320 I need His mercy here because I send enough the day before. 485 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,800 I need to wake up to mercy, not judgement. 486 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:41,400 So there is the fear of God and I worship Him out of fear of Him 487 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:46,400 because He is the holy God and I'm only in His presence by the 488 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,920 grace of God, by coming in His name. 489 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,640 Prior to Christ, I couldn't come into His presence. 490 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:57,160 A sinful man can't come into the presence of God. 491 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:03,120 But at the same time in the in the the early church, verse 43, 492 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:08,320 it says, notice this. Then fear came upon every soul 493 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,840 and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 494 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:21,160 The Spirit filled church is a church that is full of joy, but 495 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,640 also a church full of awe and reverence. 496 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:28,560 The spiritual church is an evangelistic church. 497 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,160 What does that mean? Means we're concerned about the 498 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:36,360 lost. So we've spoken of the interior 499 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:41,520 life of a spiritual church, the early church, within the walls 500 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,040 of what was going on, what they did. 501 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:50,080 But these tell us nothing about its compassionate outreach to a 502 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,240 lost world of sinners. Because on the surfboards there, 503 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:58,520 as you go out, it tells us, Mark, where to go, where we come 504 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:00,800 worship. And then what do we do? 505 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,120 We go into the world and what we preach the gospel to who? 506 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:08,639 To every creature, to a lost world. 507 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:14,199 And that action, you and I, when we're in the presence of God, we 508 00:34:14,199 --> 00:34:18,600 worship him, we honour him, we give to him, then we are 509 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:20,679 changed. And then when we go out, we are 510 00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:28,000 automatically thinking of the lost people who are have no, 511 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:31,440 they have, they have no hope. They can have money, they can 512 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:35,920 have a house, they can have all lots of things, but they're, 513 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,199 they're lost, don't they? As you get older, don't don't 514 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:41,639 you see people in a different way now? 515 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:45,000 You hear people talk to you at work and you they talk about 516 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,239 their situations, their problems with their kids and problems in 517 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:51,719 their marriage or problems in there, and you think their life 518 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:57,680 is just a cacophony of brokenness, heartache, sorrow, 519 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:02,120 and there's no light at the end of the tunnel while we just get 520 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:04,280 divorced. We have nothing to do with the 521 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,280 son. We don't talk to him. 522 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:12,080 We've quit that. We don't speak and that's that's 523 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:14,120 as we, you and I go out. That's the world. 524 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:29,020 We go out into a broken world. It says in verse 47 praising God 525 00:35:29,020 --> 00:35:30,660 and having favour with all the people. 526 00:35:30,660 --> 00:35:37,060 Notice what it says here. And the Lord added to the church 527 00:35:37,340 --> 00:35:40,300 daily those who were being saved. 528 00:35:40,300 --> 00:35:43,580 This is one of the most frustrating things as a pastor. 529 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:50,800 I can give an old call at every service and I have nothing to 530 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,920 do. I can't do anything I can't you. 531 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,640 You can go to your brother and sister and and they can be 532 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,400 struggling and you can talk to them, but you can't save them. 533 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:02,120 And it breaks your heart, doesn't it? 534 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,640 You talk to a couple that have troubles in their marriage and 535 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:13,680 you talk, but they need the Lord and you, there's nothing you can 536 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:18,920 do about that. But we can pray for them. 537 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,480 But it's the Lord, only the Lord who can save a soul. 538 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:29,280 How, you ask, did Jesus do this? And the Lord added to the 539 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:30,880 church? Well, he did it through the 540 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:35,560 preaching of the apostles, the witness of the church members as 541 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,720 they went out into the community, the impressive 542 00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:42,560 genuine love of their common life that that people saw the 543 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,160 church and thought, man, I wouldn't mind being what is it 544 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:50,520 that these people have and their example as they were praising 545 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,720 God, enjoying the favour of all the people. 546 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:59,120 Verse 47 yet it was Christ who did it for he is the head of the 547 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,400 church. If you have a blessed marriage 548 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,760 and you're both of your believers, you've been, maybe 549 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:07,480 you've been given a child, a birth of a child, and you're a 550 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,880 Christian couple, You know what? When people say, oh, that's not 551 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:16,120 wonderful, yet the Lord is good. Tell people who brought the 552 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:19,000 child. He's the one who created the 553 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,680 little baby. Tell people about how God, yeah, 554 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:24,480 God has helped us in our marriage. 555 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:27,880 I see you get on really well with your son. 556 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,160 Yeah, we're both walking in the Lord together. 557 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,080 We're learning. And you know, we pray together, 558 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:38,000 tell people that it's the Lord, because it's not. 559 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:43,200 It's got nothing to do with you, nothing to do with me. 560 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:54,440 It is Christ Jesus alone who has the prerogative to admit people 561 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,240 into his Kingdom. You know, if you're a Christian 562 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:00,440 here today, it's only because Jesus did it. 563 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:05,320 Think about that. If you're a Christian here this 564 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:09,000 morning, it is only because of the love of Jesus Christ upon 565 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:11,360 your life. That's staggering. 566 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:18,960 You had nothing to do with it. Jesus said John 1516. 567 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:25,360 You didn't choose me, I chose you and appointed you. 568 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:29,560 John 1519 If you're of the world, the world would love it's 569 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:34,000 own yet because you're not of the world, but I chose you out 570 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:39,800 of the world. Second thing about an 571 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:43,680 evangelistic church is what Jesus did was two things 572 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,320 together. He added to their number those 573 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:52,120 who were being saved and note He did not add them to the church 574 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,960 without saving them. I want you to note this because 575 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:57,760 this is very different to what's happening today. 576 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,560 Only those who went to this church in Jerusalem were those 577 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:11,520 who got saved. There is no nominal Christianity 578 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:14,200 at the beginning of the early church. 579 00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:18,560 I just go along, you know, because they have great coffee, 580 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:23,280 a lot of music. That didn't happen. 581 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,640 The only ones who went to this church where people got saved 582 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,320 from the Lord, he added to their number. 583 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,440 There is no such thing today either. 584 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,920 And then as solitary Christianity either. 585 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:43,160 I'm a Christian. Yeah, I don't go to church. 586 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:47,200 No, sorry. Don't work that way. 587 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:55,160 That is an oxymoron. There is no such thing as 588 00:39:55,160 --> 00:40:02,240 solitary Christianity, salvation and being part of Christ's early 589 00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:04,840 church. The local church go together. 590 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:10,320 They still do. Thirdly, and the Lord added to 591 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:12,960 the church daily those who were being saved. 592 00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:18,640 The Lord added people daily. It's an imperfect verb, meaning 593 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:22,280 kept adding more people, kept on getting saved. 594 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:27,360 The early church's evangelism was not an occasional or 595 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,720 sporadic activity. In other words, yeah, we got a 596 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,320 salvation meaning coming up in three months time. 597 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:36,400 Let's get to it. And that's how the church went 598 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,440 off into those programmes. Nothing against, you know, the 599 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:42,720 outreaches of Billy Graham and such like, Awesome. 600 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:53,680 But the early church was growing because the Lord added people 601 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:58,640 daily. It was not an occasion or a 602 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:02,400 sporadic activity. No, just as their worship was 603 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:06,560 daily, verse 46, so too was their witness each time they 604 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:09,480 went to the marketplace, each time they gathered water for 605 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:14,520 their water to take home. Their outreach was a natural 606 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:20,200 flaw on of being in a spirit filled church in the apostles 607 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:24,080 doctrine, breaking bread and praying together. 608 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:30,120 Pastor Chuck Smith used to say healthy sheep fed healthy fed 609 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:35,120 sheep, bigot healthy sheep. You know, people have often 610 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:37,600 asked, you know, what's the programme for Calvary Chapel, 611 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:42,360 Secret Harbour 2026 Teach the word of God, pray, gather, 612 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:48,480 worship the Lord. Because as you come and you grow 613 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:51,400 and you get closer to the Lord, then you go back out into the 614 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:56,600 community, you're evangelising, you're witnessing, you're 615 00:41:56,600 --> 00:42:01,240 praying, you're sharing, you're seeing need, you're helping. 616 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,480 And so the work of the Holy Spirit goes out in you. 617 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:10,320 You do the work. It's not like, well, we're going 618 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:13,400 to have a programme, we'll spend so much money and get everyone 619 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,280 to come and what happens? Nothing happens. 620 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,240 Then everyone goes and we pack up and clean them. 621 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:20,120 Well, that went well. Had a lot of people come 622 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:21,360 anything happen? Nope. 623 00:42:27,850 --> 00:42:33,090 So the early church spirit filled was all about 624 00:42:33,610 --> 00:42:38,890 relationships. One they first related to the 625 00:42:38,890 --> 00:42:43,250 apostles doctrine and we're in submission to it. 626 00:42:43,250 --> 00:42:49,400 And then this is a rare book. You know, I gave six of these 627 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:52,800 out to the Fremantle Dockers Football Club pre Christmas. 628 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:57,040 Haven't heard a word back from those who who place them before 629 00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:03,680 their lockers yet. But you know, the problem is 630 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:09,880 this is missing in your life, in the life of your marriage and in 631 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:14,720 the life of the church. This is where God speaks to us. 632 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:19,600 This is how the Holy Spirit directs and guides us through 633 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:24,280 this. And I want you to be hungry for 634 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,680 it. You'll only be hungry for it if 635 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:30,040 you know Christ. You won't be bothered with it if 636 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:33,120 you're a churchgoer, just a churchgoer. 637 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,280 Don't need it. It's an unemployment. 638 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:38,680 Never read it. Have no use for it. 639 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:45,280 Secondly, the early church spirit filled. 640 00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:49,520 They were related to each other in genuine care and love. 641 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:54,200 One of the things that snuck in to us and you know, back in the 642 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:58,640 old days. Remember I rated my brother's 643 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,920 band aid tin. I forget the band aid tin. 644 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:06,840 He had a laser pass. He used to keep shillings in 645 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,040 there. So what do I do? 646 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:10,880 I decided to be a big spender one day. 647 00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:15,560 Take out about four shillings, walk down to the corner store, 648 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,480 got all the kids in the neighbour ice creams are on me. 649 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:24,160 Double header, 6 foot. Go ahead, go. 650 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:26,120 Hey, ice cream, you are. Who are you? 651 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:28,280 I don't even give the kid an ice cream. 652 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:40,040 Get home, Mum comes in. Didn't go down the shop by. 653 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:46,000 Oh, no, because the corner store, the lady around the 654 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:52,120 corner store knew everybody. Yeah. 655 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:58,320 And so I don't know why I've told that story. 656 00:45:04,390 --> 00:45:13,790 You see, lost, they had a genuine love and care for one 657 00:45:13,790 --> 00:45:17,560 another. And they did it because they 658 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:19,760 were really concerned about others. 659 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:25,760 What happens is you and I come to church these days and we've 660 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:28,360 got like, there's a service nearly finished. 661 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:30,200 He's winding up. Come on, let's get going. 662 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:31,880 We don't want to be talking to anyone. 663 00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:34,120 Got the motor running. I'll go out, get the car 664 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,480 started, get the kids. Come on, grab the kids early. 665 00:45:38,240 --> 00:45:39,800 We don't want to. We don't want to have to talk. 666 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:41,600 I don't know. And they're coming. 667 00:45:41,760 --> 00:45:44,560 Someone's coming over to say, come on, let's get out of here. 668 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:51,200 Because we want church without being touched. 669 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:55,560 We don't want to be accountable. We don't have to talk to 670 00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:57,680 someone. We don't have to get on with 671 00:45:57,680 --> 00:46:00,400 someone. Proverbs says iron sharpens 672 00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:03,240 iron. You see, The thing is, if you're 673 00:46:03,240 --> 00:46:06,840 a believer, you have a gift. God says we at least all have 674 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:10,560 one gift and your gift is for everybody else. 675 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:13,640 It's not for you. So when you're here, you bring 676 00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:17,000 your gift. You know, do you know everybody? 677 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:19,520 Do you know, you know how many people in church have cancer at 678 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:20,960 the moment? You know, how many people are 679 00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:23,320 going through tough times at the moment? 680 00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:24,600 Do you know, do you have any idea? 681 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:31,760 You should not because you're a gossip, but because you're 682 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:35,880 concerned about people. See how they're not here, how 683 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:42,520 they struggling. Thirdly, the early church, they 684 00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:46,320 related to God in worship. They worshipped him in the 685 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:51,000 temple and at home in the Lord's Supper and in prayers with joy 686 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,520 and reverberance. When we celebrate, I always give 687 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:58,480 a warning that the Lord's Supper we're going to have. 688 00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:00,600 It's time to get your kids. Talk to your kids. 689 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,200 Are they old enough to have the bread and the wine? 690 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:05,800 Because they they shouldn't take it if they don't know what 691 00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:09,560 they're doing and if they know what they're doing. 692 00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:13,040 Have they been baptised? Are they reading the Bible? 693 00:47:13,440 --> 00:47:15,520 He said it just thought it just you just can't. 694 00:47:15,520 --> 00:47:17,880 Yeah, your common kids will just do this, you see. 695 00:47:17,880 --> 00:47:23,200 No, no, you got to do it right. Spiritual church is a 696 00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:27,600 worshipping church. And lastly, they were related to 697 00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:31,400 the world in outreach. They were engaged in continuous 698 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:36,560 evangelism. No self centred, there weren't a 699 00:47:36,560 --> 00:47:41,360 self contained church. No self contained church can 700 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:45,040 claim to be spirit filled because the Holy Spirit is that 701 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:52,760 missionary spirit. So as we wrap this up, you can 702 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:55,640 wake up the person next to you. He's finished early today. 703 00:47:56,360 --> 00:47:58,240 What? I usually got another 10 minutes 704 00:47:58,240 --> 00:48:03,840 from him. What has God spoken to you about 705 00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:09,360 today? Because you're going to hear it 706 00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:14,440 and go out and do nothing and be a fool or you can hear it and 707 00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:21,240 apply it and be a wise man. Is God calling you this morning? 708 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:24,360 You say, Keith, I'm not part of it. 709 00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:25,800 I don't. I'm just popped in. 710 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:27,720 I just, I come here occasionally. 711 00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:32,120 Well, then you have an occasional God. 712 00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:38,880 Oh no, I'm you know, I no Bible tells me different. 713 00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:43,720 You have an occasional relationship. 714 00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:49,760 Are you serious with the Lord? Are you serious about being part 715 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:55,320 of the body of Christ? Has God chosen you to be part of 716 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,880 this church or another church? Because you need to be part of 717 00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:03,160 some church. If you say what church suits 718 00:49:05,560 --> 00:49:11,520 you, drive through, you know, Bain Marie, one bit of this, bit 719 00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:19,080 of that, Oh, I don't want that Christ Spirit filled church 720 00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:23,520 exists. I want to ask you, are you part 721 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:23,760 of it?